Vomitface

Hooray For Me

Help Yourself Records

Scrolling through an inbox full of press releases, one sees all sorts of crazy band names. Mannequin Pussy, Goblin Cock, Diarrhea Planet, and even still, the name Vomitface jumped out at me. Spewed its way past the “delete” button with a ridiculousness that begged to be heard. The sound that belched its way out of the speakers was far from gag inducing.

A lot of bands get compared to Nirvana. It’s lazy, it’s over-played, and I hate to do it, BUT Hooray For Me does sound remarkably similar to Bleach-era Nirvana, and singer Jared Micah packs a Cobain wail. Neither Micah’s vocal techniques, nor the record, feel like an attempt at a grunge revival, though. There’s a raw urgency to lead off song “Senior Pictures” that, rather than feel like a repeat, feels like a torch has been passed. The song’s heavy passivity slowly swells until it can’t help but rupture in the final bridge with a satisfying puss-releasing burst. And, kinda like Bleach, it’s a commanding debut album despite the apparent apathy inherent in the songwriting.

Recorded by Steve Albini (how perfect) in a blistering two days of “mostly single takes,” the sweat of a live recording bleeds through making other album highlights “Dramamine” and “Chew Toy” emit the odious funk of a band locked up in a room, plowing through the night. But wait, it’s not all sludgey guck and grime. There’s a melody hiding behind every burst of noise and distortion. “Wait” is a goddamn pop song buried inside of a garbage can. Blink and you’ll miss it, but it’s there and it’s a straight up hit song from 1993.

Vomitface have cultivated the best elements of a bygone era and brought in the better parts of the current garage art punk scenes, scraped away the excess metal and psychedelic sides of either genres, and presented a final product that is both raw and refined.

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